The present invention generally relates to organizers for kitchen accessories. More particularly, this invention relates to an organizer and storage device for cooking pot lids and the like.
The clanging of metal pot lids against each other and the kitchen floor reminds us of the difficulties in storing cooking pot lids. Pot lid handles prevent stable stacking of the lids and the varying diameters of pot lids require organized storage so that each can be readily accessible when needed. Thus, there is a need within the art for means to store cooking pot lids in an organized, stable fashion.
Various pot lid organizers and storage devices are shown in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,414 to Sipe a pot lid holder for a plurality of pot lids is disclosed comprising a plurality of vertically-spaced and horizontally-extending wire frames attached to a vertical support element. A pot lid is selectively received by each wire frame. U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,215 also to Sipe discloses a similar wire frame assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,892 to Taylor discloses a pot lid rack that slides out like a drawer and includes a plurality of transversely-extending compartments which receive a pot lid. A wall-mountable multiple pot lid storage device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,469 to Geleziunas which includes respective pairs of arms extending laterally from a vertical wall mount. An adjustable organizer for a plurality of bakeware shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,471 to Bross includes a base member having a plurality of grooves formed by extending ribs. The ribs are disposed in spaced relationship along the length of the base member to each side of a central channel. A plurality of vertical support members selectively engage the respective grooves. A pot lid is held in place within the bakeware organizer by resting a top portion thereof against the vertical support member and by resting a bottom portion thereof against a rib.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,503 to Pohler a hot pot lid and utensil holder is shown. U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,556 to Otani et al. discloses a wire frame pot holder for receipt of a single pot lid that selectively attaches by suction cups to an oven door or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,771 to Kaneshiro discloses a cooking pot lid stand that includes a base attached to the underside of a cradle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,310 to Raishe et al. discloses a holder for a cooking pot lid mountable to a vertical wall and having a slot that receives a pot lid handle. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,536 to Meneghello another pot lid holder receiving a pot lid handle and being mountable to a vertical wall is disclosed.
Wire frame organizers for appliances, tools and related accessories are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,770 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,334, both to Bejak et al.
A marketable pot lid holder should be capable of receiving a plurality of pot lids in stable engagement, should be adjustable for receipt of pot lids of varying size, and should retain the pot lids in a manner permitting each pot lid to be quickly and easily accessed. The pot lid organizers and storage devices of the prior art fail to meet one or several of these criteria. Pot lid holders of the prior art that engage a pot lid handle generally hold the pot lid in a meta-stable position and pot lids are unwieldy when being removed from the pot lid holder. Also, the prior art devices are not adjustable to pot lids of different sizes because of stationary pot lid holding means. Thus no suitable unitary module for holding pot lids of different sizes was known in the art prior to this invention.